The New Jersey Devils welcomed Adam Henrique back to the Prudential Center for the first time as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. After going down early, this team was able to fight back and gain the win.
What a night it was on Monday night. So much emotion. So much stress. Adam Henrique made his return to New Jersey as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. There was a great tribute video for his time with the New Jersey Devils. It showed the biggest goals and the best times he had off the ice. It was one of the best moments of the year.
To say it was bittersweet was an understatement. Many fans called Henrique their favorite player. He was a great personality that was 100% committed to this team until the end.
Then the puck dropped. It didn’t take long for Henrique to make moves on his former team. 10 minutes into the first period, Henrique recorded an assist on the Ducks second goal of the game. The score puts the Ducks up 2-0 early. It was starting to look like it wasn’t the Devils night.
At the start of the second, Miles Wood tips in a Sami Vatanen slapper. It was Vatenen’s first point as a Devil, and it came against his former team. It should have been a great moment that turned around this team, but Henrique was having none of that.
Just three minutes later, Henrique scored one of the best goals you will see all year. He alley oops the puck to himself over Vatanen, the man he was traded for. He beats him on the rush, and throws the puck over Cory Schneider to give the Ducks a 3-1 lead.
Alley-oop time for @AdamHenrique! https://t.co/jUFOcUpTTf
— NHL (@NHL) December 19, 2017
That goal can be a back breaker for most teams. The player you traded just made the player you got in return look silly to put his team up two. However, this isn’t most teams.
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The Devils were able to cut the lead in half again before going into the locker room. It was Miles Wood again, this time throwing the puck from a bad angle under the glove of Ryan Miller.
The third period was all Devils. Jesper Bratt came out of the box and scored on the most wicked wrister you will see. Stefan Noesen scored on a play the Devils just didn’t quit on. Then the empty net goal became their own back breaker.
There was clearly emotion in the first period, which likely caused the slow start. After settling down, the Devils were the better team. It’s sad to see Henrique play for another team, and despite his attempted heroics the Devils were able to come out of the game with a win.